the golden bough-第136章

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he　joyous　day　as　to　admit　a　pheasant　to　his　frugal　board。　The　next　day；　the　twenty…sixth　of　March；　was　given　to　repose；　which　must　have　been　much　needed　after　the　varied　excitements　and　fatigues　of　the　preceding　days。　Finally；　the　Roman　festival　closed　on　the　twenty…seventh　of　March　with　a　procession　to　the　brook　Almo。　The　silver　image　of　the　goddess；　with　its　face　of　jagged　black　stone；　sat　in　a　waggon　drawn　by　oxen。　Preceded　by　the　nobles　walking　barefoot；　it　moved　slowly；　to　the　loud　music　of　pipes　and　tambourines；　out　by　the　Porta　Capena；　and　so　down　to　the　banks　of　the　Almo；　which　flows　into　the　Tiber　just　below　the　walls　of　Rome。　There　the　high…priest；　robed　in　purple；　washed　the　waggon；　the　image；　and　the　other　sacred　objects　in　the　water　of　the　stream。　On　returning　from　their　bath；　the　wain　and　the　oxen　were　strewn　with　fresh　spring　flowers。　All　was　mirth　and　gaiety。　No　one　thought　of　the　blood　that　had　flowed　so　lately。　Even　the　eunuch　priests　forgot　their　wounds。

Such；　then；　appears　to　have　been　the　annual　solemnisation　of　the　death　and　resurrection　of　Attis　in　spring。　But　besides　these　public　rites；　his　worship　is　known　to　have　comprised　certain　secret　or　mystic　ceremonies；　which　probably　aimed　at　bringing　the　worshipper；　and　especially　the　novice；　into　closer　communication　with　his　god。　Our　information　as　to　the　nature　of　these　mysteries　and　the　date　of　their　celebration　is　unfortunately　very　scanty；　but　they　seem　to　have　included　a　sacramental　meal　and　a　baptism　of　blood。　In　the　sacrament　the　novice　became　a　partaker　of　the　mysteries　by　eating　out　of　a　drum　and　drinking　out　of　a　cymbal；　two　instruments　of　music　which　figured　prominently　in　the　thrilling　orchestra　of　Attis。　The　fast　which　accompanied　the　mourning　for　the　dead　god　may　perhaps　have　been　designed　to　prepare　the　body　of　the　communicant　for　the　reception　of　the　blessed　sacrament　by　purging　it　of　all　that　could　defile　by　contact　the　sacred　elements。　In　the　baptism　the　devotee；　crowned　with　gold　and　wreathed　with　fillets；　descended　into　a　pit；　the　mouth　of　which　was　covered　with　a　wooden　grating。　A　bull；　adorned　with　garlands　of　flowers；　its　forehead　glittering　with　gold　leaf；　was　then　driven　on　to　the　grating　and　there　stabbed　to　death　with　a　consecrated　spear。　Its　hot　reeking　blood　poured　in　torrents　through　the　apertures；　and　was　received　with　devout　eagerness　by　the　worshipper　on　every　part　of　his　person　and　garments；　till　he　emerged　from　the　pit；　drenched；　dripping；　and　scarlet　from　head　to　foot；　to　receive　the　homage；　nay　the　adoration；　of　his　fellows　as　one　who　had　been　born　again　to　eternal　life　and　had　washed　away　his　sins　in　the　blood　of　the　bull。　For　some　time　afterwards　the　fiction　of　a　new　birth　was　kept　up　by　dieting　him　on　milk　like　a　new…born　babe。　The　regeneration　of　the　worshipper　took　place　at　the　same　time　as　the　regeneration　of　his　god；　namely　at　the　vernal　equinox。　At　Rome　the　new　birth　and　the　remission　of　sins　by　the　shedding　of　bull's　blood　appear　to　have　been　carried　out　above　all　at　the　sanctuary　of　the　Phrygian　goddess　on　the　Vatican　Hill；　at　or　near　the　spot　where　the　great　basilica　of　St。　Peter's　now　stands；　for　many　inscriptions　relating　to　the　rites　were　found　when　the　church　was　being　enlarged　in　1608　or　1609。　From　the　Vatican　as　a　centre　this　barbarous　system　of　superstition　seems　to　have　spread　to　other　parts　of　the　Roman　empire。　Inscriptions　found　in　Gaul　and　Germany　prove　that　provincial　sanctuaries　modelled　their　ritual　on　that　of　the　Vatican。　From　the　same　source　we　learn　that　the　testicles　as　well　as　the　blood　of　the　bull　played　an　important　part　in　the　ceremonies。　Probably　they　were　regarded　as　a　powerful　charm　to　promote　fertility　and　hasten　the　new　birth。

Chapter　35。　Attis　as　a　God　of　Vegetation。

THE　ORIGINAL　character　of　Attis　as　a　tree…spirit　is　brought　out　plainly　by　the　part　which　the　pine…tree　plays　in　his　legend；　his　ritual；　and　his　monuments。　The　story　that　he　was　a　human　being　transformed　into　a　pine…tree　is　only　one　of　those　transparent　attempts　at　rationalising　old　beliefs　which　meet　us　so　frequently　in　mythology。　The　bringing　in　of　the　pine…tree　from　the　woods；　decked　with　violets　and　woollen　bands；　is　like　bringing　in　the　May…tree　or　Summer…tree　in　modern　folk…custom；　and　the　effigy　which　was　attached　to　the　pine…tree　was　only　a　duplicate　representative　of　the　tree…spirit　Attis。　After　being　fastened　to　the　tree；　the　effigy　was　kept　for　a　year　and　then　burned。　The　same　thing　appears　to　have　been　sometimes　done　with　the　May…pole；　and　in　like　manner　the　effigy　of　the　corn…spirit；　made　at　harvest；　is　often　preserved　till　it　is　replaced　by　a　new　effigy　at　next　year's　harvest。　The　original　intention　of　such　customs　was　no　doubt　to　maintain　the　spirit　of　vegetation　in　life　throughout　the　year。　Why　the　Phrygians　should　have　worshipped　the　pine　above　other　trees　we　can　only　guess。　Perhaps　the　sight　of　its　changeless；　though　sombre；　green　cresting　the　ridges　of　the　high　hills　above　the　fading　splendour　of　the　autumn　woods　in　the　valleys　may　have　seemed　to　their　eyes　to　mark　it　out　as　the　seat　of　a　diviner　life；　of　something　exempt　from　the　sad　vicissitudes　of　the　seasons；　constant　and　eternal　as　the　sky　which　stooped　to　meet　it。　For　the　same　reason；　perhaps；　ivy　was　sacred　to　Attis；　at　all　events；　we　read　that　his　eunuch　priests　were　tattooed　with　a　pattern　of　ivy　leaves。　Another　reason　for　the　sanctity　of　the　pine　may　have　been　its　usefulness。　The　cones　of　the　stone…pine　contain　edible　nut…like　seeds；　which　have　been　used　as　food　since　antiquity；　and　are　still　eaten；　for　example；　by　the　poorer　classes　in　Rome。　Moreover；　a　wine　was　brewed　from　these　seeds；　and　this　may　partly　account　for　the　orgiastic　nature　of　the　rites　of　Cybele；　which　the　ancients　compared　to　those　of　Dionysus。　Further；　pine…cones　were　regarded　as　symbols　or　rather　instruments　of　fertility。　Hence　at　the　festival　of　the　Thesmophoria　they　were　thrown；　along　with　pigs　and　other　agents　or　emblems　of　fecundity；　into　the　sacred　vaults　of　Demeter　for　the　purpose　of　quickening　the　ground　and　the　wombs　of　women。

Like　tree…spirits　in　general；　Attis　was　apparently　thought　to　wield　power　over　the　fruits　of　the　earth　or　even　to　be　identical　with　the　corn。　One　of　his　epithets　was　very　fruitful：　he　was　addressed　as　the　reaped　green　（or　yellow）　ear　of　corn；　and　the　story　of　his　sufferings；　death；　and　resurrection　was　interpreted　as　the　ripe　grain　wounded　by　the　reaper；　buried　in　the　granary；　and　coming　to　life　again　when　it　is　sown　in　the　ground。　A　statue　of　him　in　the　Lateran　Museum　at　Rome　clearly　indicates　his　relation　to　the　fruits　of　the　earth；　and　particularly　to　the　corn；　for　it　represents　him　with　a　bunch　of　ears　of　corn　and　fruit　in　his　hand；　and　a　wreath　of　pine…cones；

pomegranates；　and　other　fruits　on　his　head；　while　from　the　top　of　his　Phrygian　cap　ears　of　corn　are　sprouting。　On　a　stone　urn；　which　contained　the　ashes　of　an　Archigallus　or　high…priest　of　Attis；　the　same　idea　is　expressed　in　a　slightly　different　way。　The　top　of　the　urn　is　adorned　with　ears　of　corn　carved　in　relief；　and　it　is　surmounted　by　the　figure　of　a　cock；　whose　tail　consists　of　ears　of　corn。　Cybele　in　like　manner　was　conceived　as　a　goddess　of　fertility　who　could　make　or　mar　the　fruits　of　the　earth；　for　the　people　of　Augustodunum　（Autun）　in　Gaul　used　to　cart　her　image　about　in　a　waggon　for　the　good　of　the　fields　and　vineyards；　while　they　danced　and　sang　before　it；　and　we　have　seen　that　in　Italy　an　unusually　fine　harvest　was　attributed　to　the　recent　arrival　of　the　Great　Mother。　The　bathing　of　the　image　of　the　goddess　in　a　river　may　well　have　been　a　rain…charm　to　ensure　an　abundant　supply　of　moisture　for　the　crops。

Chapter　36。　Human　Representatives　of　Attis。

FROM　INSCRIPTIONS　it　appears　that　both　at　Pessinus　and　Rome　the　high…priest　of　Cybele　regularly　bore　the　name　of　Attis。　It　is　therefore　a　reasonable　conjecture　that　he　played　the　part　of　his　namesake；　the　legendary　Attis；　at　the　annual　festival。　We　have　seen　that　on　the　Day　of　Blood　he　drew　blood　from　his　arms；　and　this　may　have　been　an　imitation　of　the　self…inflicted　death　of　Attis　under　the　pine…tree。　It　is　not　inconsistent　with　this　supposition　that　Attis　was　also　represented　at　these　ceremonies　by　an　effigy；